A well-designed front porch does more than look smart — it shelters your entrance from Wirral weather, keeps draughts out of the hallway and gives you somewhere to drop coats, boots and parcels. We prepare the design and the drawings so you can take a clear, accurate scheme to a builder to price and build. We design only; we don't carry out the building work, which keeps our advice focused on getting the look, proportions and detailing right.
What we do
Brick, render, tile and joinery chosen to pick up the existing frontage, so the porch reads as part of the home rather than an add-on.
An open, glazed porch to keep light in the hall, or a more enclosed, solid design for warmth and privacy — we design around how you'll use it.
A slightly deeper porch can swallow coats, shoes, the dog lead and parcels, keeping the hallway clear and the family organised.
A proper roof and threshold to keep rain off you and the door, cut draughts and give visitors a clear, welcoming way in.
Many small front porches are permitted development, which can mean a full planning application isn't needed — but only if the project stays within the limits. As a general guide, the rules often allow a porch where the external ground-floor area doesn't exceed 3 square metres, no part is higher than 3 metres, and no part sits within 2 metres of a boundary that fronts a highway (such as the pavement or road). These figures are a guide, not a promise, and the exact position of your boundary matters.
Some homes don't have these rights in the same way — flats and maisonettes are treated differently, and properties in conservation areas, or with an Article 4 direction, may have reduced permitted development rights. We advise on the likely route for your specific home and prepare the drawings it needs, always subject to confirmation with Wirral Council (or your local planning authority).
Building regulations are separate from planning. Front porches are often exempt from building-regulations approval — typically where the porch is built at ground level, has a floor area under 30 square metres, the existing front door between the house and the porch stays in place, and any glazing meets the safety glazing requirements. Electrical work and heating can bring their own requirements.
Those conditions don't fit every project, so we'll flag where building-regulations drawings are likely to be needed and prepare them if so. The aim is that your builder and building control, where involved, both work from the same clear information.
Questions
Architectural design drawings for rear, side, wraparound and kitchen-diner extensions — planned around how you actually live.
Existing and proposed plans, elevations and site plans prepared to support a householder planning application in Wirral.
Technical drawings and details prepared for building-control approval — the 'how it's built' stage that follows planning.
Front Porches for homeowners across Wirral, including:
Send Sean a few photos and a short description of what you'd like to do. You'll get an honest first view with no obligation.